All Topics  
Arthur (TV series)

 
Arthur (TV Series)

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Arthur (TV series)
 
 
  Topics Arthur (TV series) Topic Home

Arthur is a long-running American and Canadian educational
Edutainment

Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to Education as well as to amuse. Edutainment typically seeks to instruct or Socialization its audience by embedding lessons in some familiar form of entertainment: television programs, Video game, films, music, websites, multimedia software, etc....
 television series for children, that airs on PBS in the United States; Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada

T?l?vision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in french as Soci?t? Radio-Canada....
, Knowledge and TVOKids
TVOKids

TVOKids - The Space launched on April 1, 1994, on TVOntario, as a block of afterschool children's programming dedicated to being non-violent, commercial free, educational, and positive social role modelling....
 in Canada; ABC1
ABC1

ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from The Walt Disney Company utilizing the branding of the Disney owned American network, American Broadcasting Company....
 in Australia and BBC One
BBC One

BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC . It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular public television service with a high level of ....
/ CBBC in the UK. It is aired internationally in 82 countries and broadcasted daily across 325 PBS stations in the United States alone.

Arthur revolves around the lives of Arthur Timothy Read, an anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts....
 aardvark
Aardvark

The Aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is sometimes called "antbear", "anteater", "Cape anteater" , "earth hog" or "earth pig"....
, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Arthur (TV series)'
Start a new discussion about 'Arthur (TV series)'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Arthur is a long-running American and Canadian educational
Edutainment

Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to Education as well as to amuse. Edutainment typically seeks to instruct or Socialization its audience by embedding lessons in some familiar form of entertainment: television programs, Video game, films, music, websites, multimedia software, etc....
 television series for children, that airs on PBS in the United States; Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada

T?l?vision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in french as Soci?t? Radio-Canada....
, Knowledge and TVOKids
TVOKids

TVOKids - The Space launched on April 1, 1994, on TVOntario, as a block of afterschool children's programming dedicated to being non-violent, commercial free, educational, and positive social role modelling....
 in Canada; ABC1
ABC1

ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from The Walt Disney Company utilizing the branding of the Disney owned American network, American Broadcasting Company....
 in Australia and BBC One
BBC One

BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC . It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular public television service with a high level of ....
/ CBBC in the UK. It is aired internationally in 82 countries and broadcasted daily across 325 PBS stations in the United States alone.

Arthur revolves around the lives of Arthur Timothy Read, an anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings, natural and supernatural phenomena, material states and objects or abstract concepts....
 aardvark
Aardvark

The Aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. It is sometimes called "antbear", "anteater", "Cape anteater" , "earth hog" or "earth pig"....
, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other. The series often deals with social
Social

Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms . It always refers to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence, irrespective of whether they are aware of it or not, and irrespective of whether the interaction is voluntary or involuntary....
 and health
Health

In 1948, the World Health Organisation defined health as ?a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.? ...
-related issues that affect young children. There is a strong emphasis on the educational value of books and libraries as well as relationships with friends and family members. The television series is based on the Arthur book series, that are illustrated and written by Marc Brown
Marc Brown (author)

arthur goes to campMarc Brown is an United States writer of children's books. He writes as well as illustrates his Arthur books. He is best-known for the Arthur series and its spin-offs....
. In 1994, the Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
-based Cinar
Çinar

?inar is a district of Diyarbakir Province of Turkey. And also the name of downtown of Denizli city of Denizli Province of Turkey....
, now Cookie Jar Group, began production of the animated series. Arthur has consistently remained one of the highest-rated shows on PBS Kids ever since it started airing in September 1996.

Setting

Arthur Read
Arthur Read

Arthur Timothy Read is the title character of both the book series and the Public Broadcasting Service children's television show Arthur which was created by Marc Brown ....
, the series' titular character, is an eight-year-old brown ardvark who lives in the fictional town of Elwood City
Elwood City (Arthur)

Elwood City is a fictional city in the TV show Arthur . The population of the city was revealed in an episode as 79,567....
. He is a third-grade student at Lakewood Elementary School. Arthur's family includes two home-working parents, his father David (a chef) and his mother Jane (an accountant), his two younger sisters, Dora Winifred (D.W.), who is in preschool, and Kate, who is still an infant, and his dog Pal. Arthur also has several friends who come from various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, and he also occasionally meets with members of his extended family as well.

In the TV series, Elwood City is portrayed as a largely suburban area which bears a strong resemblance to the Boston area
Greater Boston

Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston to that of the city's combined statistical area which includes the metro areas of Providence,...
; the TV series is partially produced by WGBH
WGBH

For the radio station specifically, see WGBH .WGBH is a non-commercial television and radio broadcast service located in Boston, Massachusetts....
. Furthermore, Elwood City's professional baseball
Professional baseball

Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
 team, the "Elwood City Grebe
Grebe

Grebes are members of the Podicipediformes order , a widely distributed order of freshwater diving Avess, some of which visit the sea when Bird migration and in winter....
s", appears to be a fictional representation of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in . The Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball?s American League East. Since , the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park....
. The episode "The Curse of the Grebes" in Season 10 clearly references baseball lore such as The Curse of the Bambino. The same episode also refers indirectly to the rivalry between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees
Yankees-Red Sox rivalry

The New York Yankees?Boston Red Sox rivalry is one of the oldest Sports rivalry in American professional sports. For more than 100 years, Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees of the American League have been intense rivals....
, as the Grebes have a fierce rivalry with the Crown City Kings during the World Championship, a reference to the World Series
World Series

The World Series is the championship series of Major League Baseball, the culmination of the sport's playoff each October. Since the Series takes place in mid-autumn, sportswriters many years ago dubbed the event the Fall Classic, a usage reflected in the logo for the 2008 World Series; it is also sometimes known as the October Clas...
. Crown City, as featured in other episodes, is apparently a fictional representation of New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. In one episode, it is inferred that an ice hockey
Professional ice hockey

Professional ice hockey has existed since after World War I. From the first professional ice hockey league based out of Michigan in the United States, it quickly grew into Canada and to many other countries, as diverse as Switzerland, Ukraine, Great Britain or Austria....
 team sporting the WGBH logo and the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ....
' team colors on their uniforms are Elwood City's professional (possibly NHL
National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America. It is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the North American Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada....
) hockey team.

There are also firm references to Brown's hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is an industrial city on the shore of Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Named for the lake and the Erie tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth largest city , with a population of 104,000....
. Most notably, the local shopping mall
Shopping mall

File:Nordstrom wing , Pentagon City Mall.jpgA shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings which contain retail units, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit....
 in the TV series is called "Mill Creek Mall", an obvious reference to Millcreek Mall
Millcreek Mall

The Millcreek Mall or Millcreek Mall Complex is a one-level shopping mall and shopping complex located about five miles south of downtown Erie, Pennsylvania, between Peach Street and Interstate 79, in Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania....
. Brown himself stated that the series is influenced by his upbringing as a child in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is an industrial city on the shore of Lake Erie in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Named for the lake and the Erie tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth largest city , with a population of 104,000....
. There is also an actual Ellwood City
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania

Ellwood City is a Borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania and Lawrence County, Pennsylvania counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Ellwood City is 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and some 8 miles south by southeast of New Castle, Pennsylvania....
 northwest of the Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania with a population of 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571....
 area, although it does not resemble the Elwood City in Arthur.

Production

The TV series' reggae
Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
-style theme song
Theme music

The phrase theme music usually refers to that of a radio programming, television program, or movie. It is a Musical composition that is often written specifically for that show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits....
 was recorded by Ziggy Marley
Ziggy Marley

David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley is a four time Grammy Award-winning Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of Rita Marley and Bob Marley, the roots reggae singer....
. A remix
Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses Audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, Pitch , tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of th...
ed techno
Techno

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988....
 version of the song, called "Believe in Yourself", has played during the closing credits for the sixth season. Many celebrity guest stars have also appeared on the show, including Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel

Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an United States singer, poet and actor, best known as half of the Grammy Award winning folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel....
, Fred Rogers, Michelle Kwan
Michelle Kwan

Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skating. She has won nine United States Figure Skating Championships, five World Figure Skating Championships, and two Figure skating at the Olympics....
, Joshua Redman
Joshua Redman

Joshua Redman is an American jazz saxophone and composer who records for Nonesuch Records. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991....
, Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor

Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor is an United States blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She is known primarily for her rough and powerful human voice and traditional blues stylings....
, Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma is a France-born Chinese Americans virtuoso List of cellists and composer and winner of multiple Grammy Awards. He is one of the most revered cello players of the 20th and 21st centuries....
, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal Empire list of Mughal emperors Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal....
, Johnny Damon
Johnny Damon

Johnny David Damon is a Thai American Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees. Since the season, he is 3rd among active major leaguers in Run , and 7th in Hit and stolen bases ....
, The Backstreet Boys, Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek

George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian born United States television personality and game show host. He has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since September 10, 1984....
, Matt Damon
Matt Damon

Matthew Paige Damon is an American actor and philanthropist. He won the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for his screenwriting in Good Will Hunting, and was nominated for his lead performance in the same film....
 and Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry

Frank Owen Gehry, Order of Canada is a Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions....
, each providing the voice for their anthropomorphic animal counterpart.

Although the program is primarily produced by WGBH
WGBH

For the radio station specifically, see WGBH .WGBH is a non-commercial television and radio broadcast service located in Boston, Massachusetts....
 of Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the State capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2007 est...
, the production of the animated portions of the show is done in Montreal
Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
, Quebec
Quebec

Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
 & South Korea. This includes the writing and voice acting
Voice acting

Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animation characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, doing voice-overs in radio and television Television advertisements, radio drama, dubbing foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides....
,The Animation of the show is done at AKOM production company. The entire cast of Arthur lives in Montreal
Montreal

Montreal, or Montr?al, is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population....
 or Toronto
Toronto

Toronto is the List of the 100 largest municipalities in Canada by population in Canada and the Provinces and territories of Canada Provincial and territorial capitals of Canada of Ontario....
, where Cookie Jar Entertainment's studios are located. The only segments of the show that are filmed outside of Canada are the "A Word from Us Kids" interstitials, filmed at elementary schools or other educational sites in the Boston area
Greater Boston

Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston to that of the city's combined statistical area which includes the metro areas of Providence,...
. Beginning in Season 11, the "A Word From Us Kids" segment was replaced by a segment called "Postcards from You", where a couple of live-action videos sent in by young viewers were spotlighted per episode.

Marc Brown's children, Tolon, Eliza and Tucker, are referenced in the show many times, just as they are in the Arthur book series. For example, the town's moving company is called "Tolon Moving", everyday items such as cups or pencil sharpeners have the word "Eliza" printed on them. References to Cookie Jar Entertainment and WGBH also appear often on the show. In one episode, Francine and Buster are shown playing a table hockey
Table hockey

Table hockey can refer to:* Miniature ice hockey games in general, see Table hockey games* The competitive sport organised by the International Table Hockey Federation, see ITHF table hockey...
 game in which one team's players wear shirts in the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The team is a member of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ....
' signature colours with Montreal-based Cinar's logo on them and the other team's players wear shirts in the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League ....
' colors with Boston-based WGBH's sting logo on them. Subsequent episodes that involve hockey also depict players wearing these sweater designs. Also, in the episode "The Big Blow-Up" in Season 2, a racecar driver wears a jersey with "Cinar" written on it and a car with "WGBH" written on it. In the episode "Prove It" in Season 4, The Brain introduces D.W. to science while watching a non-animated episode of Nova
NOVA (TV series)

Nova is a popular science television series from the United States produced by WGBH-TV Boston. It can be seen on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, and in more than 100 other countries....
, a science series also produced by WGBH.

When Arthur first came out, the characters had white tongues, this was a coloration error, Buster's Dino Dilemma was the first episode to fix this mistake, but the white tongue mistake continued until the Scare-Your-Pants-Off Club episode. After season one it was fixed permanently.

Awards


The series has been acknowledged with the George Foster Peabody Award
Peabody Award

The George Foster Peabody Awards, better known as simply the Peabody Awards, are annual, international awards for excellence in radio and television broadcasting....
 and four Daytime Emmys
Daytime Emmy Award

The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York, New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles, California-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in United States daytime television programming....
 for Outstanding Children's Animated Program. In 2002, TV Guide
TV Guide

TV Guide is the name of a North American weekly magazine about Broadcast programming.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews....
 ranked Arthur Read No. 26 on its list of the "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time."

Cast and characters


Characters


Voice cast

  • Michael Yarmush
    Michael Yarmush

    Michael Yarmush is an United States television, film, and Voice acting actor....
     - Arthur Timothy Read (1996-2000)
  • Justin Bradley
    Justin Bradley

    Justin Bradley is a Canada actor.He started his career at the age of six, modelling on various department store advertisements. Bradley also appeared in commercials for McDonalds, Danone and Canadian Tire as a child....
     - Arthur Timothy Read (2000)
  • Mark Rendall
    Mark Rendall

    Mark Rendall is a Canada actor, perhaps best known for starring in the title role of the 2005 film, Childstar, as well as Mick in Season 1 of the Canadian television drama series ReGenesis....
    - Arthur Timothy Read (2001-2003)
  • Cameron Ansell
    Cameron Ansell

    Cameron Ansell is best known for voicing Arthur Timothy Read in the TV show Arthur , Cheng in Skyland, and Prince Lumen in Spider Riders....
     - Arthur Timothy Read (2004-2007)
  • Dallas Jokic - Arthur Timothy Read (2008-current)
  • Simon Peacock - Pal (2001-current)
  • Michael Caloz
    Michael Caloz

    Michael Caloz is a Canada voice actor who is best known for voicing D.W. on Arthur from 1996 to 1998 holding his role for two seasons. He acted as Dora Winafred Read from when he was ten years old until he was 12 years old as creators needed a younger actor in order to keep DW's voice consistent during the show's run....
     - Dora Winifred "D.W." Read (1996-1998)
  • Oliver Grainger
    Oliver Grainger

    Oliver Grainger is the voice actor for the character Dongwa on Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat. He plays Sagwa's older brother in the show. He previously played Dora Winifred Read on Arthur_ and George Dumol on Mona The Vampire....
     - Dora Winifred "D.W." Read (1999-2001)
  • Jason Szwimer - Dora Winifred "D.W." Read (2002-2006)
  • Rob Naylor - Dora Winifred "D.W." Read (2007-current)
  • Sonja Ball - Jane Read (Arthur's Mom)
  • Bruce Dinsmore
    Bruce Dinsmore

    Bruce Dinsmore is a Canadian actor born in Vancouver. He voices Binky Barnes in Arthur , Tubby Tompkins in The Little Lulu Show, and Jervis Coltrane and Mr....
     - David Read/Binky Barnes/Bailey
  • Luke Reid - Alan "The Brain" Powers (1996-1999)
  • Steven Crowder - Alan "The Brain" Powers (2000-2001)
  • Alex Hood
    Alex Hood

    Alex Hood, sometimes called Alex Hodd, is a Canada actor who is known as the voice of Kenny in Beyblade.Hood has featured in other cartoons such as Arthur and Peep and the Big Wide World ....
     - Alan "The Brain" Powers (2002-2005)
  • Paul-Stuart Brown - Alan "The Brain" Powers (2005-2007)
  • Lyle O'Donohoe - Alan "The Brain" Powers (2008-current)
  • Daniel Brochu
    Daniel Brochu

    Daniel Brochu is a Canadian voice actor born in Montreal. He is best known for voicing Buster Baxter in Arthur , and Danny Pickett in What's With Andy?....
     - Buster Baxter
  • Holly Gauthier-Frankel
    Holly Gauthier-Frankel

    Holly Gauthier-Frankel is a Canadian Voice acting....
     - Fern Walters
  • Jodie Resther
    Jodie Resther

    Jodie Lynn Resther is a Canadian actress.Resther is possibly best known for being the voice of Francine Alice Frensky is the PBS children's program Arthur since 1996....
     - Francine Alice Frensky
  • Brigid Tierney - Jenna Morgan (1996-2008)
  • Maggie Castle - Molly MacDonald
  • Melissa Altro
    Melissa Altro

    Melissa Altro is a Canada actor best known for her voice acting. She has lent her voice to such animated roles as Pippi Longstocking in the 1998 series Pippi Longstocking , and Muffy Crosswire in the long-running PBS animated series, Arthur ....
     - Mary Alice "Muffy" Crosswire
  • Tamar Koslov - Prunella Deegan
  • Eramelinda Boquer - Rubella Deegan
  • Patricia Rodriguez- Sue Ellen Armstrong (1996-2004)/Catherine Frensky (1996-2003)
  • Jessie Kardos - Sue Ellen Armstrong (2005-current)
  • Alexina Cowan - Catherine Frensky (2003-current)
  • Mitchell David Rothpan - George Nordgren (1996-2001)
  • Evan Smirnow - George Nordgren (2002-2004)
  • Eleanor Noble
    Eleanor Noble

    Eleanor Noble is a Canadian voice actor. She voices Lori Mackney in What's With Andy? and George in Arthur . She also acted onscreen in the sixth season of the MTV anthology series Undressed....
     - George Nordgren/Lundgren (Season 9-current), Perky Newswoman (2002, 2004)
  • Hayley Reynolds - Nadine
  • Sally Isherwood - Emily (2005)
  • Vanessa Lengies
    Vanessa Lengies

    Vanessa Lynne-Marie Lengies is an actor best known for starring in the drama American Dreams as Roxanne Bojarski....
     - Emily (1996-2005; 2006-current)
  • Joanna Noyes - Grandma Thora Read
  • Tracy Braunstein - Katelyn "Baby Kate" Read (2001-current), Sally (2001)
  • Ellen David
    Ellen David

    Ellen David is a Canada actress. She was co-nominated for a 2007 Gemini Award for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series in The Business episode Check Please and nominated for a 2005 G?meaux Award for Meilleur r?le de soutien f?minin : com?die ....
     - Bitzi Baxter
  • A.J. Henderson
    A.J. Henderson

    A.J. Henderson is a Canada actor, born in Montr?al, Qu?bec....
     - Edward Crosswire/Grandpa Dave
  • Arthur Holden
    Arthur Holden

    Arthur Holden is a Canada voice actor, born in Montreal. He is best known for playing the "head office guy" in Fries with That? and voicing Mr....
     - Mr. Ratburn/Bionic Bunny/Announcer
  • Walter Massey
    Walter Massey (actor)

    Walter Massey is a Canada actor. He has had numerous roles on stage, movies, and television for more than five decades. Massey is the cousin of actor Raymond Massey and is a founding member of Canadian Actors' Equity....
     - Principal Herbert Haney/Mr. Marco (1996-1997)
  • Al Gravelle - Mr. Morris (1996-2002)
  • Brownen Mantel - Mrs. Sarah MacGrady
  • Katie Hutchison - Paige Turner
  • Susan Glover - Miss Woods (1996-1998)
  • Samuel Holden
  • Jane Woods
  • Christopher Lortie - Timmy Tibble (2008-current)
  • Jake Roseman - Tommy Tibble (2008-current)
  • Jonathan Koensgen - Tommy Tibble (1996-2003), The Tibbles (2003-2007)
  • Ricky Mabe
    Ricky Mabe

    Richard "Ricky" Mabe is a Canadian actor.Mabe first voiced the character Willie in CINAR Animation The Little Lulu Show and has subsequently starred frequently on various Canadian television series' and in feature films alongside Burt Reynolds, Ryan Gosling and Elisha Cuthbert....
     - Timmy Tibble (1996-2003)
  • Mark Camacho
    Mark Camacho

    Mark Camacho is a Canadian actor who has starred in many films, and more notably, some voice actor roles, such as Oliver Frensky in Arthur . He also voiced the character of Jeri Skalnic in Still Life ....
     - Oliver Frensky
  • Jane Wheeler - Mrs. Barnes (Binky's Mom)
  • Nicholas Wheeler-Hughes - James MacDonald (2003-current)
  • Frank Welker
    Frank Welker

    Franklin W. Welker is a veteran United States voice acting. He is responsible for a broad spectrum of character voices, and other vocal effects that have appeared over the last 40 years in American television and motion pictures....
     - Pal (1996-2000), Various animals (uncredited)


Arthur's Missing Pal Cast

  • Carr Thompson - Arthur
  • Daniel Brochu
    Daniel Brochu

    Daniel Brochu is a Canadian voice actor born in Montreal. He is best known for voicing Buster Baxter in Arthur , and Danny Pickett in What's With Andy?....
     - Buster
  • Frank Welker
    Frank Welker

    Franklin W. Welker is a veteran United States voice acting. He is responsible for a broad spectrum of character voices, and other vocal effects that have appeared over the last 40 years in American television and motion pictures....
     - Pal
  • Luciano Rauso - D.W.
  • Bruce Dinsmore
    Bruce Dinsmore

    Bruce Dinsmore is a Canadian actor born in Vancouver. He voices Binky Barnes in Arthur , Tubby Tompkins in The Little Lulu Show, and Jervis Coltrane and Mr....
     - Mr. Read, Binky Barnes
  • Sonja Ball - Mrs. Read
  • Harry Shearer
    Harry Shearer

    Harry Julius Shearer is an United Statesn actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host and record label owner. Shearer, a voice actor on The Simpsons , provides the voices of Mr....
     - Ice Cream Man
  • Jodie Resther
    Jodie Resther

    Jodie Lynn Resther is a Canadian actress.Resther is possibly best known for being the voice of Francine Alice Frensky is the PBS children's program Arthur since 1996....
     - Francine
  • Melissa Altro
    Melissa Altro

    Melissa Altro is a Canada actor best known for her voice acting. She has lent her voice to such animated roles as Pippi Longstocking in the 1998 series Pippi Longstocking , and Muffy Crosswire in the long-running PBS animated series, Arthur ....
     - Muffy
  • Alex Hood
    Alex Hood

    Alex Hood, sometimes called Alex Hodd, is a Canada actor who is known as the voice of Kenny in Beyblade.Hood has featured in other cartoons such as Arthur and Peep and the Big Wide World ....
     - The Brain
  • Tracy Braunstein - Baby Kate
  • Tamar Koslov - Prunella
  • Mona Marshall
    Mona Marshall

    Mona Marshall is an United States voice actress. She is often cast in the role of a young boy. Her roles have included parts in not only Japanese anime, but also in American cartoons as well....
     - Trucker Lady
  • Dave Mallow
    Dave Mallow

    David J. Mallow is a voice acting. One of his known aliases is Colin Phillips....
     - TV Announcer
  • Ricky Ullman - Waiter


Celebrity guests

  • Alex Trebek
    Alex Trebek

    George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian born United States television personality and game show host. He has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since September 10, 1984....
     - Trebek appears as "Alex Lebek" on the episode when Arthur is on a game show.
  • Michelle Kwan
    Michelle Kwan

    Michelle Wingshan Kwan is an American figure skating. She has won nine United States Figure Skating Championships, five World Figure Skating Championships, and two Figure skating at the Olympics....
     - Kwan appears as herself when Francine learns to skate.
  • Art Garfunkel
    Art Garfunkel

    Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an United States singer, poet and actor, best known as half of the Grammy Award winning folk music duo Simon & Garfunkel....
     - Garfunkel appears as "the singing moose."
  • Fred Rogers - Mr. Rogers appears as himself in a surprise visit to Elwood City.
  • Joshua Redman
    Joshua Redman

    Joshua Redman is an American jazz saxophone and composer who records for Nonesuch Records. He won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991....
     - Redman appears as himself as Francine's uncle.
  • Yo-yo Ma
    Yo-Yo Ma

    Yo-Yo Ma is a France-born Chinese Americans virtuoso List of cellists and composer and winner of multiple Grammy Awards. He is one of the most revered cello players of the 20th and 21st centuries....
     - Ma appears as Redman's rival.
  • Larry King
    Larry King

    Lawrence Harvey Zeiger , better known by his stage name Larry King, is an US television and radio host. He is recognized in the United States as one of the premier broadcast interviewers of modern times....
     - Although King does not appear on the show itself, he interviews the Arthur characters during the interstitial on PBS's telecasts.
  • Matt Damon
    Matt Damon

    Matthew Paige Damon is an American actor and philanthropist. He won the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for his screenwriting in Good Will Hunting, and was nominated for his lead performance in the same film....
     - Damon appears as himself in an episode featuring the creation of the Arthur show.
  • Johnny Damon
    Johnny Damon

    Johnny David Damon is a Thai American Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees. Since the season, he is 3rd among active major leaguers in Run , and 7th in Hit and stolen bases ....
     - Damon appears as a player for the Elwood City Grebes.
  • Frank Gehry
    Frank Gehry

    Frank Owen Gehry, Order of Canada is a Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions....
     - Gehry appears as an architect who helps the gang build the new treehouse.
  • Taj Mahal
    Taj Mahal (musician)

    Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who goes by the stage name Taj Mahal, is an internationally recognized blues musician who folds various forms of world music into his offerings....
     appears as himself who helps George write music.
  • Ming Tsai
    Ming Tsai

    Ming Tsai is an United States fusion cuisine chef and restaurateur who currently hosts two cooking shows – Ming's Quest on the Fine Living television channel and Simply Ming on American Public Television – and formerly hosted East Meets West on the Food Network, for which he won an Emmy Award....
     - Tsai is shown as the judge for a cooking contest at the Lakewood Elementary school.


Episodes

Each episode of Arthur runs for half an hour. Episodes consist of two completely self-contained 11-minute stories. The episodes start off with one of the characters (usually Arthur) speaking towards the audience about a situation within the story followed by the title card. The episodes are separated by a one- to two-minute live-action interstitial
Interstitial program

In television, interstitials refers to short programming which is often shown between film or other events, e.g. a cast interview after movies on Premium Channels....
 called And Now a Word from Us Kids (or, in some cases, a permutation of that title more specific to its contents). The live-action segments almost always feature children from elementary schools (generally in the Boston area) presenting subjects they are currently learning about or projects they have been working on in their classes. (The subjects covered here relate to the first cartoon segment in the half-hour.) This segment is seen exclusively on PBS telecasts of the show, filling space otherwise used for commercials, which are generally forbidden on PBS. There is also a relatively new segment that sometimes appears at the end of the second 11-minute episode called "And Now a Word from Marc Brown" where he shows the viewers how to draw various main characters from the show. In 2007, the show began encouraging viewers to send in "video postcards" (similar to those used in the spin-off show Postcards from Buster), which are now shown in the interstitials of new episodes.

In 2008, the Marc Brown Studios website announced that Seasons 12 and 13 are being produced .

Postcards from Buster


Another series based on the show titled Postcards from Buster premiered on October 11, 2004, with recurring characters that had appeared.

Arthur franchise


Television

In addition to the television series, the Arthur franchise has spawned three hour-long movies, which are often run on PBS during pledge
Pledge

A pledge is an oath. Pledge or The pledge may also refer to:* Pledge of Allegiance, used in the United States* The "Teetotal Pledge" or "The Pledge", of abstinence from alcohol, taken by many Catholics in the 19th and 20th centuries, in a movement started by Theobald Mathew in Ireland in 1838....
 drives. The latest, Arthur's Missing Pal, was produced by Mainframe Entertainment
Mainframe Entertainment

Rainmaker Animation Inc., formerly Mainframe Entertainment, Inc., is a Canada computer animation and design company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada and Los Angeles, California, USA ....
 and is the first animated Arthur project to make use of three-dimensional
3D computer graphics

3D computer graphics are graphics that use a Cartesian coordinate system#Three-dimensional coordinate system representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images....
 computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery

Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, Television commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media....
. . Arthurs success has also lead to the spin-off
Spin-off

A spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator....
 series, Postcards From Buster
Postcards from Buster

Postcards from Buster, also called Buster's Postcards, is a children's television series, containing both animation and live-action that airs on PBS, and is a spin-off of the Arthur cartoon series....
.

Music albums


ActiMates

In 1998, both Arthur and D.W. were made into Microsoft
Microsoft

Microsoft Corporation is a multinational corporation computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of computer software products for computing devices....
 ActiMates
Actimates

ActiMates were a series of interactive toys released by Microsoft in February, 1997, which were in the form of licensed dolls which could interact with certain episodes of their respective television series on Video Home System videocassette which were bundled with the dolls....
, sophisticated toy dolls who could interact with children, with each other, with certain computer software and the Arthur website, and also with the Arthur television show and videos.

To get the ActiMates to interact with the TV show or the videos, a hockey-puck-shaped transmitter device called a TV Pack must be purchased separately and connected to the video-out connector of the TV set, while to have the ActiMates to interact with the specialized computer software (developed by Creative Wonders and published by Microsoft) and the website, another hockey-puck-shaped transmitter device called a PC Pack must be purchased separately and be connected to the MIDI/game port connector of the PC.

For the TV show and videos, the TV pack reads coded information from a thin bar-code-like strip along the left edge of the screen and retransmits it to the ActiMates. This strip is typically invisible when viewed on a normal television, but can be seen by other means, such as watching Arthur on a computer screen by using a TV tuner card, or by sending the tuner signal from a VCR to a video monitor that is capable of overscanning, which is possible on many professional-grade video monitors.

Meanwhile, interaction between the specialized software and the website with the ActiMates is a little more complicated. The software makes use of a special programming library called "ToyAPI", which communicated with the ActiMates via the PC Pack. The website, on the other hand, makes use of special script files embedded in each page. These script files are parsed by a special plugin that you'll be prompted to download and install on your first visit to the page. This plugin reads the script and send instructions to the ActiMates, again through the PC Pack.

Due to the difference in functions between the PC Pack and TV Pack, the ActiMates will not interact with the Arthur TV show if the show is being watched on a computer monitor using a tuner card with the PC Pack plugged in. Likewise, it will not interact with a TV that is connected to a computer and has a TV Pack is plugged into the TV.

Microsoft discontinued the ActiMates line shortly before season 5 aired, most possibly due to a lawsuit pertaining to patent infringement and the fact that sales were dropping. It has been noted that post-season 4 episodes of Arthur have not included any ActiMates code. Newer videos and DVD releases of the show does not carry ActiMates code either. The enhancements on the website were removed when the site was redesigned in 2002 and thus the ActiMates would no longer interact with the website. Likewise, re-releases of the ActiMates software by Creative Wonders do not interact with the ActiMates because the library that controls the PC Pack has been replaced with a dummy library file (reports state that the software will resume interaction with the ActiMates if the library file is replaced with the original one).

Video games

  • Arthur's Thinking Games: Released in 2001 by The Learning Company, this game has six fun activities that encourage critical thinking and logic.
  • Arthur's Absolutely Fun Day Mattel Interactive/The Learning Company/Ed Magnin and Associates (GBC): Released between 1998 and 1999, this game has you piloting the head of Arthur throughout a map of part of Elwood City and partaking in minigames so he could go visit the amusement park.
  • Arthur: Ready to Race Mattel Interactive/The Learning Company (PlayStation): Released between 1999 and 2000, This game has Arthur scouring around for parts to build a cardboard box racer. It consists of mostly minigames which the player partakes to gain parts, although the player is only confined to exploring a small area in Elwood City. The graphics are 3D CGI style with three pre-rendered CGI cutscenes. The voice acting in the game is not done by the original voice actors.
  • Living Books: There were several interactive storybooks in the Living Books series
    Living Books series

    The Living Books series was a series of interactive animated multimedia children's books produced by Br?derbund and distributed on CD-ROM for Apple Macintosh and Microsoft Windows....
     based on Arthur, including Arthur's Teacher Trouble.
  • Arthur's Pet Chase: Arthur's first side-scrolling adventure, similar to Super Mario Bros.
    Super Mario Bros.

    is a Platform game video game developed by Nintendo in late 1985 and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros.....
    .


DVD Releases

WGBH Home Video has begun releasing Arthur on DVD in Region 1. They released Season 10 on March 25, 2008 and Season 11 has been released on September 2, 2008.

DVD Name Ep # Release date
Season 1 30 Spring 2009
Season 2 20 TBA
Season 3 15 TBA
Season 4 10 TBA
Season 5 10 TBA
Season 6 10 TBA
Season 7 10 TBA
Season 8 10 TBA
Season 9 10 TBA
Season 10 10 March 25, 2008
Season 11 10 September 2, 2008
Season 12 5 2009


Popularity with older fans


Although Arthur is directed primarily toward a child
Child

A child is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor , otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority....
 and preteen
Preteen

Preadolescence is a stage of Human development through childhood that occurs in a child's years before adolescence. Sigmund Freud termed this the latency period, which he saw as a period of unparalleled repression of sexual desires and erogenous impulses....
 audience, over the years it has gained a substantial cult following
Cult following

A cult following is a group of fan devoted to a specific area of pop culture. These dedicated followings are usually relatively small, and often pertain to items that don't have broad mainstream appeal....
 among older viewers. The show regularly incorporates satirical parodies of adult-oriented topics and references to pop culture
Popular culture

Popular culture is the totality of Distinction memes, ideas, Perspective s and Attitude s that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture....
, including parodies of South Park
South Park

South Park is an United Statesn animation situation comedy, notorious for its toilet humour, surrealism, and often black comedy, which satirizes Subject matter in South Park including religion, politics, violence, abuse, sexuality, and mental disorder....
, Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!

Jeopardy! is a game show featuring trivia in topics such as history, literature, pop culture and science. The show has a decades-long Jeopardy! broadcast history in the United States since its creation by Merv Griffin in the early 1960s....
, The Sopranos
The Sopranos

The Sopranos was an United States television drama series created and Executive producer#Television by David Chase. It was originally broadcast in the United States on the premium television cable television HBO from January 10, 1999 to June 10, 2007, spanning List of The Sopranos episodes....
, Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head

Beavis and Butt-head is an United States animated television series created by Mike Judge. After the success of Judge's short film entitled Frog Baseball, which starred the characters Beavis and Butt-head and was featured in an episode of Liquid Television, the cable television channel MTV signed Judge to create a series with the...
, the Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional character adventurer, soldier, professor of archaeology, and the main protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise....
 adventures, the James Bond
James Bond

James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections....
 series of films, The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of comic strips created by Belgium artist Herg?, the pen name of Georges Remi . The series first appeared in French in a children's supplement to the Belgian newspaper on 10 January 1929....
, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist

Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999, starring Jonathan Katz, H....
, The Jerry Springer Show
The Jerry Springer Show

The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries....
, Oprah, Law & Order
Law & Order

Law & Order is an United States police procedural and legal drama Television program created by Dick Wolf. It has been broadcast on NBC since its debut on September 13, 1990....
, Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose

Charlie Rose is an American television interviewer and journalist.Since 1991, he has hosted Butterfield, an interview Television show produced by the New York metropolitan area public broadcasting#Television television station WNET....
, Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow

Antiques Roadshow is a United Kingdom human interest television show in which antiques appraisals travel to various regions of the United Kingdom and appraise antiques brought in by local residents....
, Mystery!
Mystery!

Mystery! is a long-running anthology television series that debuted in 1980 in the United States, which airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH-TV....
,The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone is an United States television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror fiction, often concluding with a macabre or Twist ending....
 and That '70s Show
That '70s Show

That '70s Show is an American television program situation comedy that centers on the lives of a group of teenagers living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin from May 17, 1976 to December 31, 1979....
. Many of the references and topics covered are ones with which the target audience most likely would not be familiar. In the episode Desert Island Dish, Francine holds up a cage containing a swallow and then shows a coconut
Coconut

The Coconut Palm is a member of the Family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaf 4-6 m long, pinnae 60-90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth....
, saying the bird was carrying the coconut. This is a subtle reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 in film film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones....
 and could only be picked up by older audiences.

The series is also noted for its self-referential humor
Self-referential humor

Self-referential humor relies on a subject making light of itself in some manner.Self-referential humor is sometimes combined with breaking the fourth wall to explicitly make the reference directly to the audience, or make self-reference to an element of the medium that the characters shouldn't be aware of....
. In one episode, Arthur's class is unnerved by an impending appearance in the regular mid-episode interstitial of a popular educational program, "The Magic Tool Box", a play off of the popular children's program The Magic School Bus
The Magic School Bus

The Magic School Bus is a series of children's books, intended to teach scientific concepts to children. They were written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen, between the years 1986 and 2006....
, which, coincidentally, also aired on PBS. The interstitial is called Let's Talk to Some Kids, a reference to Arthurs own interstitial, And Now a Word from Us Kids, and is presented the same way the "And Now A Word From Us Kids" is presented -- with hand-held "camera work" and children who speak in stilted sentences. Also, there was an episode where the gang wanted to enter a contest sponsored by a cartoon they watched (Andy & co.) that was very similar to Arthur, itself.

The series also features a discernible, complex continuity, which is uncommon in children's cartoons. Although the episodes themselves are not in chronological order (a single episode may have one story that takes place in the winter and another that takes place in the summer), many episodes (particularly more recent ones) are rife with references to past events within the series' continuity, in particular D.W.'s missing snowball
Snowball

File:Giant snowball Oxford.jpgA snowball is a sphere object made from frozen water or snow, usually created by scooping snow with the hands, and compacting it into a roughly fist-sized ball....
 for which she blames Arthur, and the episode in which Fern makes a contest of the scariest story, Arthur makes a reference towards the underwear incident. These are often intended to amuse long-time viewers.

Funding


  • National Endowment for Children's Educational Television (1996-1999)
  • The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations
    The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations

    The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations are a group of charitable foundations established by United States industrialist Arthur Vining Davis, onetime Alcoa president and Florida land development....
     (1996-1999)
  • Juicy Juice
    Juicy Juice

    Juicy Juice is a brand of juices and juice concentrates geared toward children and sold in the United States by Nestl?. Prior to March 2006, it was known as Libby's Juicy Juice, but is now labeled with the Nestl? parent brand....
     (1996-2004)
  • Polaroid
    Polaroid

    Polaroid is the name of a type of synthetic plastic sheet which is used to polarization light....
     (1996-1998)
  • GAP
    Gap

    Gap or The Gap may refer to:...
     (1997-1999)
  • Post Alpha Bits
    Post Cereals

    Post Cereals was founded by C.W. Post. It began in 1895 with the first Postum, a "cereal beverage", developed by Post in Battle Creek, Michigan....
     (1999-2004)
  • Lego
    Lego

    Lego, officially trademarked LEGO, is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark....
     (2000-2002)
  • Chuck E. Cheeses (2002-present)
  • Rhodes 60 Second Cinnamon Rolls (2005-2006)
  • Teddy Grahams
    Teddy Grahams

    Teddy Grahams are bear shaped graham cracker snacks created by Nabisco. Although they have had many incarnations since their 1988 release, including a cereal and the short lived Dizzy Grizzlies, the main flavors have always included cinnamon, honey, and chocolate....
     (2004)
  • Danimals (2006)
  • Hefty Zoo Pals (2008-present)
  • CVS Caremark
    CVS Caremark

    CVS Caremark Corporation is an integrated pharmacy services provider, combining a United States pharmaceutical services company with a U.S. pharmacy chain....
     (2008-present)
  • McDonald's
    McDonald's

    McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving nearly 58 million customers daily. McDonald's primarily sells hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, French fries, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, and desserts....
     (2009-present)
  • U.S. Department of Education
    United States Department of Education

    The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet-level department of the United States government of the United States. Created by the Department of Education Organization Act , it was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on October 17, 1979 and began operating on May 4, 1980....
     (1999-2002, 2004-2006)
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting
    Corporation for Public Broadcasting

    The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress and largely funded by the Federal government of the United States to promote public broadcasting....
     (1996-2000, 2002-2004, 2005-present)
  • "Viewers Like You" (1996-2002, 2003, 2005-present)


External links